This story is dedicated to the belief that real change begins when young people choose to act.

Team 1/ Mukaddes Nur Sevinç / Amine Gülşah Ölçer

Derin looked at the sky on her way to school.
It was cloudy and pale. There were lots of smog coming from factories which polluted the sky.

Her mother always said, “The sky used to be brighter and fresher. There were more green areas and trees. We used to go to school by bike. There weren’t many cars.”

There were no green areas but high buildings, smoking people everywhere.There was plastic on the streets, empty bottles, lots of cars emitting gas, trash everywhere.

Derin looked around , stopped and thought:

“Can’t we really change anything? I need to change people’s minds about how the environment can become more beautiful.”

That day, her teacher wrote on the board: 

“Youth in Action – Change Starts With You.”
Derin and her friends got surprised about what their teacher wrote. Because they weren’t familiar with this topic before and they started to think about what they were going to change.

Team 1

Team 2/ Nurhan Tekler Ertaş and Romina Marchesani

Derin raised her hand slowly.

“Teacher, can we really make a difference?” she asked.

Her teacher smiled. “Of course you can. Big changes start with small steps.” Then she wrote three words on the board:

Reduce – Reuse – Recycle

“What do they mean?” Derin’s friend asked.

The teacher explained, “Reduce means using less. Reuse means using things again. Recycle means turning waste into something new.”

Derin started to feel hopeful. She turned to her friends.

“We can start at school!” she said excitedly. “We can bring reusable water bottles. We can use both sides of the paper. We can plant trees in our school garden.”

Her friends nodded. They began to share ideas:

“We can organize a clean-up day!”
 “We can make posters about saving energy!”
 “We can ride bikes instead of coming by car!”

The classroom was full of energy now. Everyone wanted to help.

That afternoon, Derin walked home again. The sky was still cloudy, but something inside her had changed.

She looked up and smiled.

“Maybe the sky can be blue again,” she whispered. “If we all work together.” And that was the day Derin decided to be part of the change.

Team 3/ 

Team 4/ Tuba Önal/ Büşra Macar Türker

One evening at home, the lights were on in every room.

The TV was playing, but no one was watching.

Derin turned everything off.

Her father asked,

“Are you worried about the electricity bill?”

She answered,

“No… I’m worried about the future.”

She understood that saving energy was not only about money. It was about the planet.

The next day at school, Derin talked to her friends about sustainability.

She explained how small daily actions could protect the Earth.

They decided to start an Eco Club to raise awareness among students.

They created posters about saving water and reducing plastic waste.

Derin reminded everyone that young people have the power to create change.

They organized a “No Plastic Day” at school.

More and more students joined their movement.

Teachers supported their ideas and projects.

Derin felt hopeful when she saw her friends taking responsibility.

She realized that sustainability begins with awareness — and awareness often begins with the youth. 

Team5/ GÖZDE KOMUT ABİDİN NESİMİ FATİNOĞLU ANATOLIAN HIGH SCHOOL

Derin and three friends started a club:

Green Future Club

At first, the principal was unsure.
 But when he saw their determination, he said yes.

The principal’s "yes" was the spark they needed. The next Monday morning, Derin and her three closest friends—Leo, Maya, and Sam—gathered in the hallway with a mission. They weren't just students anymore; they were the architects of a greener school.

The team started by placing recycling bins in every corner of the building. They didn't just buy them; they made them! Using old wooden crates they found in the basement, they painted them vibrant colors to help students sort their waste easily.

At first, some students accidentally threw apple cores into the paper bin. But Derin didn't get frustrated. She stood by the bins during lunch, gently showing her peers where things went. "It's not about being perfect," she’d say with a smile, "it's about being mindful."

While Sam and Leo managed the bins, Maya, the artist of the group, focused on the bathrooms and the cafeteria. She designed water-saving posters that featured a crying Earth holding a single drop of water.

    "Don't let our future drip away. Turn off the tap while you soap!" Within a week, the constant sound of dripping faucets in the girls' restroom stopped. The message was sinking in.

To celebrate their progress, the Green Future Club organized a Recycling Day. They invited everyone to bring old newspapers, used plastic bottles, and outgrown clothes from home. 

Team 6/ Capuzza Maria Grazia

The club announced "Sustainability Week."

The idea came one Monday morning, when Derin stood in front of the whole school with a handmade poster in her hands. Her voice was calm but determined.

"This week, we do things differently," she said. "Bring your own bag. Ride a bike to school. And think before you throw food away."

Some students exchanged glances. Others nodded slowly.

hat same afternoon, Derin emptied her school bag and pulled out the last plastic bag she owned. She folded it, placed it in the recycling bin, and never looked back.

At dinner, her mother noticed the small cloth bag hanging by the door.

"What's that?" she asked.

"My new bag," Derin said simply. "No more plastic."

Her mother was quiet for a moment. Then she smiled, walked to the cupboard, and pulled out an old fabric bag she hadn't used in years.

"Then I'll use mine too," she said.

Derin looked at her mother and felt something warm spread through her chest. She had not asked for anything. She had simply acted — and that was enough.

Change was no longer just happening at school.

It was coming home.

The following day, Derin recalled her class about the club announcement, the "Sustainbility Week". Some students laughed. “Are you trying to save the whole world?”, they said. Their tone implied they weren’t taking her seriously. 

The classroom felt heavy and chaotic at that moment. 

Derin paused and took some minutes before she spoke again. She felt disappointed at a certain point, but didn’t lower her eyes. She decided not to give up, took a deep breath and tried again.

“Maybe not the whole world,” she said confidently, “but we can protect our part of it.” Her words were simple, but deep.

Saving the world is not easy, unrealistic, but reachable and everybody’s responsibility.